Animals in captivity: circuses denounce a “campaign of denigration”

Ⓒ AFP/Archives – PHILIPPE DESMAZES – | The trainer of the Pinder circus feed two elephants on July 11, 2013, at the “Parc de la Tête d’Or” in Lyon (south-east)

The Collectif des cirques, which brings together almost all French traditional circuses, said on Monday its desire to defend a “denigrated occupation by animal groups” opposed to the presence of wild animals in this activity.

“It is the first time in the history of the circuses that they are all gathered in a collective to defend their profession,” advised Cyrille Emery, their counsel, because “they are tired of insults and lies dumped on them by people who have never set foot in a circus. ”

Associations such as One Voice advocate that wild animals be banned from circuses, considering that it is not their place and that they are mistreated. In particular, they lobby the town halls for orders to be made.

To date, “some fifty communes have taken this type of decree, so we are far from a surge but professionals worry and especially do not support the campaign of denigration they are subjected to,” explains Me Emery, who fights some of these lawsuits.

The Collectif asked to meet Nicolas Hulot, the Minister of Ecological Transition, who created a stir among circus professionals in early August by declaring not to be “favorable to the captivity of the animals, not favorable to the idea that the” we can make a show with this activity “.

“We very much hope that Nicolas Hulot agrees to listen to us,” said Emery, who denounced “the extreme and delirious speeches of certain associations”.

“Today, they are going to the circuses, tomorrow probably to the pet shops and then to the zoos, one day it will be fishing, how far will it go?”, He wonders.

For the moment, in addition to the hoped-for rendezvous with Nicolas Hulot, the Collectif des cirques, which brings together some 250 structures – big circuses such as Pinder, Amar, Bouglione, Medrano and Gruss with more family structures – is awaiting the creation of a interministerial committee dedicated to their activity where they are supposed to sit professionals and representatives of different administrations.

This is one of the recommendations recommended by a report commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior last year to Prefect Roger Lemaire on all the problems encountered by the profession.

The professionals also decided to “open their circuses to the public during the next days of heritage,” said Emery.

“People who denigrate claim to know animals, it is false,” says Solovich Dumas, director of the circus in Rome. “We have lived with them since they were born, we have learned to respect them, to educate them and we pass on this to our children,” he continues.

“We have every interest in treating them well because the public comes to see the complicity we have created with them and this can not be done with abuse,” he said.